An Unfortunate Document

Published:PravdaNo. 47, May 16 (3), 1917.

      Published according to the text inPravda.Source:Lenin
	  Collected Works,

      Progress Publishers,1964,

      Moscow,Volume 24,

      pages343-345.Translated:Isaacs BernardTranscription\Markup:B. BagginsandD. WaltersPublic Domain:Lenin Internet Archive

      1999

      (2005).You may freely copy, distribute,
	display and perform this work; as well as make derivative and
	commercial works. Please credit “Marxists Internet
	Archive” as your source.

Theappeal of the Petrograd Soviet to the army published  in
      yesterday’s papers  is a  further defection of the Soviet’s
      leaders, the Narodniks and Mensheviks, to the side of the
      Russian Imperialist bourgeoisie.

Theincoherency of thought revealed by this appeal is
      astonishing. Only people whose heads are hopelessly stuffed
      with “revolutionary” phrases can fail to see this.

“Theworking people had no need for the war. They did not start
      it. It was started by the tsars and the capitalists of all
      countries.”

“Theworking people had no need for the war. They did not start
      it. It was started by the tsars and the capitalists of all
      countries.”

Quiteright. So far so good. And when the appeal “calls upon the
      workers and peasants of Germany and Austria-Hungary to rise,
      and make a revolution”, we approve whole heartedly, for this is
      a correct slogan.

Buthow, with this indubitable truth, can one utter in the same
      breath the followingflagrant untruth:

“You[Russian soldiers] are staunchly defending not the tsar,
      not  the Protopopovs and the Rasputins,not the rich
      landowners and capitalists...”

“You[Russian soldiers] are staunchly defending not the tsar,
      not  the Protopopovs and the Rasputins,not the rich
      landowners and capitalists...”

Thewords we have italicised are a patent and flagrant  untruth.

Ifthe working masses “have no need” for the war, if the  war
      was startednot onlyby the tsars, but by “the
      capitalists ofallcountries” (as  was definitely
      stated in the appeal issued  by the Soviet), then, obviously,
      any nation involved in this war who tolerates a government of
      the capitalists isactually“defending” the
      capitalists.

Oneor the other:eitherthe Austrian and German
      capitalists alone are to “blame” for this war; if this is what
      the  Narodnik and Menshevik leaders of the Petrograd Soviet
      think, then they are sinking to the level of Plekhanov, theRussian Scheidemann—in that case, the words saying that
      the war was “started by the capitalists of all countries” should
      be erased as being untrue; in that case, the slogan  “peace
      without annexations” should be thrown overboard as  being
      untrue, because the appropriate slogan for such a policy would
      be: take the annexed territories away from the Germans, but keep
      (and extend) the territories annexed by the  British and the
      Russians.

Orthis war was really started by “the capitalists of
      all  countries”;  if the Narodnik and Menshevik leaders of the
      Soviet donotdeny this unquestionable truth, then all
      the more revolting is the lie that the Russian soldiers, so long
      as they put up with their capitalist government, are “not”
      defending the capitalists.

Inthat case the Russian soldierstoo(and not only the
      Austrian and the German) should be told the truth. Comrade
      soldiers, we should say to them, so long as we put up with our
      capitalist government, so long as the tsar’s secret treaties are
      considered a holy of holies, we are carrying on an imperialist
      war of conquest, we aredefendingpredatory treaties
      concluded by ex-Tsar Nicholas with the Anglo-French capitalists.

Thatis a bitter truth. But it is the truth. The people should
      be told the truth. Only then will their eyes be opened and they
      willlearnto fight against untruth.

Lookat this matter from another angle, and you will  convince
      yourselves once more of the utter untruthfulness  of the
      Soviet’s appeal. It calls  upon the German workers and peasants
      to “rise”. Very well. But to riseagainstwhom? Is it
      only against Wilhelm?

ImagineWilhelm replaced by the German Guchkovs and Milyukovs,
      i.e., by the representatives of the German capitalist
      class—would this alter the predatory character of the  war
      as far as Germany is concerned? Obviously, it would
      not. Everyone knows—and  the Soviet’s appeal admits
      it—that the war was “started by the tsarsand the
      capitalistsof all countries”. Consequently, the overthrow
      of tsars, with power passing to the capitalists, alters nothing
      whatever as far as the nature of the war is concerned. The
      annexation of Belgium, Serbia, etc., will not cease being
      annexation if  the German Cadets take the place of Wilhelm, just
      as theannexation of Khiva, Bokhara, Armenia, Finland, Ukraine,
      etc.,  has not ceased being annexation because the Russian
      Cadets, the Russian capitalists, have taken the place of
      Nicholas.

Andfinally, let us assume that the Soviet’s appeal calls  upon
      the German workers and peasants to rise not only  against
      Wilhelm but also against the German capitalists.  We should then
      say that the appeal is correct and sound. We  fully support
      it. But then we should ask our esteemed fellow  citizens,
      Chernov, Chkheidze, and Tsereteli: Is it right, is it
      reasonable, is it seemly to call upon the Germans to rise
      against their capitalists, whileyou yourselves are
      supporting the capitalist government at home?

Aren’tyou afraid, my dear fellow-citizens, that the German
      workers will accuse you of mendacity or even (God forbid) of
      hypocrisy?

Aren’tyou afraid that the German workers will turn round and
      say: Our revolution has not broken out yet, we have not yet
      reached the point where our Soviets of Workers’ and Soldiers’
      Deputies can openly make arrangements with the capitalists in
      the matter of power. If you, our Russian brothers,  have already
      come to this, then why do you preach “revolt”  to us (a thing
      that is painful, bloody, and difficult), while you yourselvesrefuse to take over power peacefullyfrom Lvov and Co.,
      who have expressed their willingness to relinquish it? You speak
      about the revolution in Russia, but, Citizens  Chernov,
      Chkheidze, and Tsereteli, you have all studied socialism, and
      you realise only too well thatso jaryour revolution
      has only put thecapitalistsin power. Is it not
      trebly  insincere, when, in the name of the Russian revolution,
      which has given power to the Russian imperialist capitalists,
      you  demand of us, Germans, a revolution against the German
      imperialist capitalists? Does It not look as if your
      “internationalism”, your “revolutionism” are for foreign
      consumption only; as if revolution against the capitalists is
      only for the  Germans, while for the Russians (despite the
      seething revolution in Russia) it isagreementwith
      the capitalists?

Chernov,Chkheidze, and Tsereteli have sunk completely  to the
      level of defending Russian imperialism.

Itis a deplorable fact, but a fact nevertheless.